AddressJob Summary:
ESPN, Inc., The Worldwide Leader in Sports, is the leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment company featuring the broadest portfolio of multimedia sports assets with over 50 business entities. Headquartered in Bristol, Connecticut, ESPN is 80% owned by ABC, Inc. (a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company), and 20% by the Hearst Corporation. ESPN was founded by Bill Rasmussen and launched on September 7, 1979. Now with over 6,500 employees, each year ESPN televises more than 5,100 live and/or original hours of sports programming. The company’s mission is to serve sports fans. Anytime. Anywhere.
Position Summary:
We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Sports Talent Negotiator to join our dynamic team. This Manager will be responsible for identifying, recruiting, and negotiating contracts with Talent across various sports disciplines. The ideal candidate will possess excellent communication and negotiation skills, a deep understanding of the sports industry, and a proven track record of successfully negotiating deals for Talent.
Responsibilities:
Negotiate and facilitate execution of agreements for current and prospective ESPN talent across various sport groups.
Recruit, negotiate and cast non-ESPN talent in open roles
Build and maintain relationships with Talent and other internal stakeholders to facilitate the recruitment process.
Communicate contract deal points to legal and other stakeholders as appropriate.
Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders.
Understand the beats/cadence of specific sport calendars in order to fully prepare for upcoming seasons.
Monitor Talent performance, achievements, and market value to adapt negotiations strategies appropriately and capitalize on opportunities.
Build external relationships with talent, agents, managers, and industry movers-and-shakers in an effort to remain up-to- speed on the ever changing climate for the purpose of acquiring talent.
Qualifications:
3+ years of sports broadcast industry experience, (public facing) Talent Office, or Talent Relations experience.
3+ years of deal negotiation experience.
High level of trust and confidentiality to work with sensitive information daily.
Strong communication skills.
Ability to maintain existing relationships and cultivate new ones.
Deep knowledge of sports, sports culture, and sports/entertainment personalities.
Ability to react quickly and positively under a wide variety of sensitive, ambiguous, and changing production situations.
Preferred Qualifications:
Previous experience with managing and overseeing Talent.
Demonstrated expertise in managing departmental databases.
Key Competencies:
Professional and diplomatic in interactions with internal and external personalities.
Highly organized and detail oriented.
A self-starter.
Teamwork/collaboration.
Great oral and written communication skills.
On-air Talent evaluation.
Required Education:
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience
#ESPNMEDIA
The hiring range for this position based in Bristol, CT or Los Angeles, California is $77,000 to $104,000 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.
